Why Can't I Claim The Angel?
by DemonDazed
Summary: When 2D began glowing in the sunlight strange events followed. Murdoc knew something was up. What strange things have happened in 2D's past? And why is The Boogieman more involved with him? Phase 3. No Pairings! CONTINUED!
1. Chapter 1

Gorillaz Stories

Why Can't I Claim The Angel?

This story comes from an idea that I had when I saw a Gorillaz video storyboard on YouTube. It does have language in it but what doesn't? For copyright purposes – just like the rest of you – The characters are not my property but I use them in good faith as a dedicated Gorillaz fan. Ok, here goes…..

"Oi! Faceache!"

2D was sitting on the hard plastic ground of the hellhole known as Plastic Beach, staring out to sea. He turned to look at his captor and band mate who was looking more than annoyed.

"Wha?" he asked, innocently.

"How the f**k did you get out?"

"Tha door was unlocked, an' Cyborg's charging so no one stopped meh. I jus' wanted some air. It's stuffy all the way down there, Muds."

Murdoc glared at his damaged singer. He didn't want him to escape that easily. What if he managed to get a boats attention? That wasn't going to be easy being stuck in the middle of nowhere but he didn't want to run the risk.

"Get back inside now!"

"I jus' wan' five minutes, Murdoc."

"_Now_ Faceache! Don't make me…."

"No!"

Murdoc was a bit taken aback at the outburst that came from his prisoner.

"What did you just say?"

"I said _no_, Murdoc!" He stood up and marched over to the bassist. "You can't force meh ta do anyfing. It's gone on for too long. It needs ta stop an' 'm not gonna take anymore s**t from _you_!"

2D was now face to face with Murdoc and panting heavily having just confessed everything he had been thinking for the past year. His adrenaline rush soon ran out and he noticed a look of pure anger on Murdoc's face.

"Right! That's it!"

_S**t_ 2D thought as he yelped and started to run away, but Murdoc was too quick and grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar. He yanked him backwards and hit him straight on his chest. The fight carried on for a few minutes until Murdoc had managed to knock the singer unconscious. Murdoc stood over the limp body and gave an evil smirk.

"That, I think, will be something you won't be saying for a long time" he said. Murdoc turned around and left his victim where he was on the ground.

20 minutes passed and 2D was still on the ground. He hadn't moved or gained consciousness and neither Murdoc nor Cyborg were anywhere to be seen. From nowhere a swirl of black cloud appeared near to his lifeless body. If he had been awake he would have ran away but he didn't move. The figure of The Boogieman emerged from the fog and stared at the victim on the ground. It moved to 2D and leaned over the body. It scooped him up, holding him in a bridal style. He couldn't help but stare at 2D. He looked so innocent like a sleeping child. The Boogieman turned to look at Plastic Beach. No one was watching, were they? No. Good.

Just then he heard a mumble from below. He looked to see 2D move and rest his head on the Boogieman's chest. He was slowly coming round but he was still in deep sleep. The Boogieman felt like he was receiving a small sign of affection from his vulnerable victim but 2D – of course – was entirely unaware of the situation he was in. It then dawned on him that this was the boy that Murdoc had asked to be gassed and delivered to Plastic Beach. He still remembered the promise they shared. He also still remembered that he had not yet got his end of the bargain so his 'partner's' prize would be his.

Just then he felt something warm in his hands.

Oh God, the boy hadn't wet himself, had he? No, that wasn't possible. He could feel it in his other hand. The warm feeling grew hotter and hotter until it became so intense that he nearly dropped his precious hold. The Boogieman laid 2D back on the ground so that his hands could cool down. He leant over 2D to have a proper look at his face. It seemed so very sweet and innocent that it made him feel sick. Nevertheless he found himself stroking the boy's blue hair. Why couldn't he keep hold of him? The policeman and the manatee went without a problem but not this one. _Oh no_. The Boogieman froze, staring face down at the singer. He wasn't, was he?

"Oi! Empty adult! Get the f**k away from my singer!"

The Boogieman turned to see Murdoc charging at him from a distance. He looked back at 2D.

"FACEACHE! WAKE UP!"

2D's eyes slowly opened. The first thing he saw was The Boogieman.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

The scream 2D let off sent them both scrambling away from each other. The Boogieman could not believe what he now saw. Two black holes. Like him, in a way. He had never seen 2D with his eyes open before. The only other time he had seen him was when he was gassed. The boy was having a massive panic attack. His chest was rising up and down so fast you couldn't see and there was a look of general panic on his face. This wasn't helped by The Boogieman moving closer to him with just one thought on his mind. He needed him …

"Back off Boogie!" shouted Murdoc still advancing on the sinister creature. The Boogieman snapped back to reality.

He looked at the helpless child one last time.

He will claim him.

One day.

He covered his face with his cloak and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Murdoc at this point was about to pounce on him but he had disappeared when Murdoc was in the air causing him to fall flat on his face.

"Ow" was all 2D managed to hear as his comrade lay face down on the floor.

He stood up and brushed himself down.

"Wha' 'appened ta meh Muds? Wha' did Boogie want wif meh?"

"What do you think, Dullard?"

2D looked up at him blankly.

"You're joking aren't you? Your soul, D, He wanted your soul"

2D suddenly looked left and right as if The Boogieman was still there. He smiled.

"Well fank God 'e didn't get meh, eh Muds"

"Yeah". He looked down at the Keyboardist, confused. The smile fell from 2D's face.

"Wha' is it?"

"I don't know. It's…It's just the way he acted around you. He normally just takes his victims, I've seen. But not you. Why?"

2D shrugged. Murdoc sighed.

"Ah well. At least I'm not gonna have to look for a new singer. Come on, I'll….." He stopped and stared at the boy. There was a shaft of light coming from a break in the clouds and it was shining on 2D. That wouldn't usually be something Murdoc would notice but 2D was not just lit up by this ray of light … he was glowing.

"Murdoc? Wha' is it? Ya scaring meh. Murdoc?"

"2D, I don't want you to panic but …. you're glowing."

"Wha?" He looked at his hand but the sun had suddenly gone in.

"'M not glowing Muds" he said showing off his hand.

"Bu…But I could've sworn….." Murdoc shook his head "Must be seeing things" he said to himself.

He gave 2D his hand and helped him up. As they walked, 2D had so many things going on in his head. What _did_ happen today? Why did The Boogieman leave him in the end? He wanted him he could tell, but he was still here. Also, why was Murdoc saying he was glowing? He didn't really glow, did he? He wasn't one of those random Twilight vampires; at least he didn't think so. He didn't crave for blood so he probably wasn't. Just then, he gained a thought that made him stop in shock. He kept going over it over and over again, trying to work it out. Was he really…..?

"Why have you stopped? Hurry up, Faceache"

2D, who immediately forgot what he was thinking of, was brought back to reality and ran after his friend.

"Comin'!"

**This is no longer the end! A few of you wanted me to continue so now I am! You're lucky I've still got some ideas left...**


	2. Chapter 2

Why Can't I Claim The Angel?

So I've put it off for ages but, after seeing that so many of you are dead keen for me to continue, guess what? I'm continuing! I had so many ideas in the past and then I forgot them and now I have retrieved most of them so I now have enough for the next part! Enjoy!

Already put a disclaimer at the beginning, I don't need to add another one.

Later that night, Murdoc sat on his bed flicking through his old Satanic books to try and discover what had just happened to his prisoner. He hadn't touched the things for _ages_, he'd been too busy being hunted down. Yet here he was, back at the stage when he first became a Satanist, looking through the books for relevant information.

He'd been through them all about three times but nothing stood out. It seemed hopeless, but he had to know what had happened to 2D and if he could gain the same power to get rid of The Boogieman. He gave up with them and began to pace around the room. He couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep, until he knew. He forced his brain to process as much information as possible relating to the situation.

Murdoc thought about The Boogieman and any potential weaknesses he could have. He didn't take 2D away even though he was completely vulnerable. Why? What was it that caused him to leave the singer without taking his soul? Someone with a soul like 2D's would be something that any creature like Boogie could want to take. Yet he left it. Why, just why? Murdoc began to think of the impossible. Was Boogie a fan of 2D? No, that would mean that he would act fonder to Murdoc and, judging by the fact that he is always trying to kill him this was unlikely. Maybe he owed 2D something. What…..really? Demons never owed anything to anyone and even if they did then they'd never keep the promise. 'Oh!'…..Murdoc's thoughts had just entered the really weird. Did Boogie fancy 2D? He caught him stroking 2D's hair so there must be something. ….Ew! That wasn't right. The thought of it made him feel sick. Boogie couldn't fancy 2D, could he? Murdoc shook his head. He didn't want to think about it anymore.

He then thought of 2D and wondered why he could be the cause. From Murdoc's perspective he was just an annoying little twerp with a good voice. That was all he wanted from him…..wait…..his voice! It was the only thing that Murdoc really liked about him so what if Boogie thought the same? No, that wouldn't work. Probably the only time that he may have heard him sing was through the window on the Stylo video. Why else did the black clouds suddenly appear over them? He had obviously been listening. Why else? In others eyes he was nice, talented, and cute…..cute. Oh no. Yet another reason why Boogie could fancy him. As a side note, the kid was also glowing when the sun landed on him. That was one of the main reasons he had resorted to the books although he had drawn a blank so far.

Murdoc sat back on his bed and put his head in his hands. This was more worrying than he had first thought. In frustration he picked up the nearest book and threw it at the wall. They were so old that some of the pages fell out but he didn't care. They floated around the room before landing randomly around the floor.

One such page landed right in front of him and caught his eye. He looked down at it and picked it up. He hadn't seen that page before. He read it and looked at the large diagram at the top. His jaw dropped.

'S**t! …. so _that's_ what he was looking for'.

2D made his way to the study and found Murdoc writing at his desk.

"Hi Murdoc," he said pleasantly.

Murdoc just nodded and grunted to let him know he was aware of his presence.

2D began to walk across the room. All of a sudden the floor felt a bit weird …. sort of loose and uneven. 2D stopped and looked down but shrieked when he saw what was happening right below his feet. Cracks were growing and spreading around him fast. Murdoc heard the cracking and finally looked up. His eyes widened at the surrounding hole that was forming around the singer. He leapt to his feet and walked quickly to where the cracks started, which was the safest point. The ground began to shake and a loud rumbling sound could be heard underneath them. 2D just looked at his friend in fear, unsure what to do. Murdoc's own eyes were also filled with fear (which was very unusual for him). The singer tried to take a step forward towards him but where his foot touched the floor, a tiny hole had formed. It wasn't big enough to do much damage but it soon would be, he could tell.

"Wha's going on Muds? Ah can' move."

Murdoc stretched out his arms.

"2D, there's no other way. You've got to jump before it's too late."

"W-Wha' d'ya mean?"

"Just jump 'D! I'll catch you, don't worry."

2D did as he was told. He took a few short breaths before leaping from his spot. He had jumped in time because the spot from where he was once standing had fallen apart leaving a large hole that stopped by Murdoc's feet. The singer fell short and Murdoc only had time to grab his hands to save him from falling down the hole. Despite his weight, holding onto 2D caused Murdoc to kneel on the floor to stop himself falling too. 2D's heart was thumping in his ears and he was hyperventilating again. He looked down to see where he would go, and in the deep depths of the earth he could just make out a sea of glowing lava.

Hell Fire! Literally!

He could hear terrifying voices from the bottom calling his name. He looked up to Murdoc with tears of fright in his eyes. The red smoke pouring from the hole added to the effect.

"Help meh! They're gonna ge' meh!" he cried.

"2D, you'll be fine," Murdoc tried to reassure "I've got you, just hold on."

The bassist tried to remain calm but his insides were telling a different story.

"Jus' pull meh up Muds, PLEASE!"

"I'm trying; you've got to help me though."

2D tried to pull himself up but he was too far down for Murdoc to easily pull him out or for 2D to pull himself up. He tried to swing up but instead lost his grip; luckily Murdoc caught him by one of his hands. If he let go, 2D was gone. The singer started to sob.

"M-Muds, I-I'm scared. Ah don' wanna go ta 'ell!"

Murdoc's jaw dropped slightly. He didn't know what to say. He secretly knew he couldn't hold on forever.

"It'll be ok 'D, just hold on ok?"

2D nodded smiling a little. A tugging feeling in Murdoc's hands caused his smile to be wiped clean away.

"Murdoc, 'm slipping!"

"No…..No you're not! Hold on!"

The sweat of fear they were producing wasn't helping and soon they were only holding onto each other by a finger. The weight of 2D on his finger hurt so much that he knew there was no hope for him. Soon enough Murdoc lost hold of his singer and didn't have time to catch him again.

2D fell screaming into the underworld. He saw the look of horror that Murdoc held on his face, his hands in his hair almost ready to tear it out. He was gutted, for a few seconds he could have been able to pull the boy out. Now he was gone.

2D spun so he was facing the lava that he would soon fall into. It seemed to take so long …. he felt as though it was almost moving away from him like in a bad dream where you fall for ages. The voices were louder now. He continued to scream and slammed his eyes shut expecting to burn any moment.

He finally collided with something but it was not the fiery ending that he had expected. He was now moving sideways …. still as fast, but sideways! He stopped screaming and slowly opened his eyes ….. in the dim orange light given off from the fires still below him he could just make out who was holding him.

"BOOGIE!"

He looked down with his glass eyes and familiar frightening appearance. He threw him in the air and 2D just floated motionless. The Boogieman shoved his hand inside 2D's chest and the singer screamed in pain, tears flowing down his cheeks as the captor slowly pulled a glowing blue object from deep within him. He felt weak as he realised what it was.

His soul.

The Boogieman placed his other hand under the singer's chin and tilted it to face him. 2D looked back at him with tired half-lidded eyes.

"_You will be mine 2D"_

2D finally passed out…and awoke in his bedroom. He shot up panting. He touched himself everywhere. He was still alive, in his body and, hopefully, still with his soul. He fell back onto his pillow and sighed. It was just a dream. Thank God, he knew Murdoc was never that nice to him. Also…..why would the gateway to Hell just suddenly open up on of the top floor of Plastic Beach? Oh dreams were strange, hopefully it meant nothing. With that he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

**Well that's just to start me off again so it's a bit short. Next chapter should hopefully explain a few more things. See you then.**


	3. Chapter 3

Why Can't I Claim The Angel? (Part 3)

Hey guys. Before I start I want to make something clear. This is NOT a Murdoc/2D fanfic! If it was I would have warned you at the beginning. If anyone else is a bit unsure about this, don't worry. Stick with it, it gets better. Right, that's my little rant over; let's see what happens next shall we?

The lift doors opened and Cyborg Noodle stepped into 2D's small, messy room. She spotted a large lump underneath the bed covers and assumed the vocalist she had been sent to collect was underneath. She marched to the bed and stared down at the lump.

"Faceache," she said coldly.

No answer. Cyborg never really called him by his proper name. She commonly addressed him by the name she was first given by her master which was "that's just Faceache. Try not to kill him ok?" This name was then stored in her memory banks unless Murdoc manually changed it. Of course he couldn't be bothered so 2D was just stuck with 'Faceache' for the foreseeable future.

"Faceache. You will respond to me now."

She heard a groaning noise from the covers and a tired looking pair of eye-holes peeked out from a little hole made in the covers.

"Wha' d'ya wan' Cyborg?" he asked glumly.

"Master had required your presence at breakfast this morning. You will change and follow me to the eating area."

This meant the kitchen. 2D sat up and rolled out of bed. He then realised he was only in his underwear and there was a girl staring at him. He looked up and waved his hand towards the unfazed robot as if he was telling a dog to go away.

"Ah kno' where the kitchen is. You go ahead, ah'll catch ya up."

"I am told to escort you to the eating area, I will take no chances. If you escape I would be held responsible."

2D shrugged. "Alright, if ya sure."

He began scanning the floor for a pair of jeans, ignoring the robot completely. She tilted her head and examined his bare back. It wasn't the first time she'd seen someone in just their pants. Murdoc was her master after all! 2D finally straightened up to pull on the jeans that he found. Cyborg thought she saw something on his back and zoomed her vision in for a better look. At around +500 she saw some strange looking marks. Not scratches from fights with Murdoc, they almost looked like tattoos of weird symbols. She needed this evidence to examine for herself and maybe for her master to look at as well. She snapped her eyes open and shut a few times to capture some images. Unfortunately this process made quite a loud sound like a camera snapping which made the singer turn around as soon as his trousers were on.

"You taking pictures o' meh?"

She did not respond.

"You bet'ah no' be sellin' 'em on eBay or I'll kill ya."

He put his t-shirt on and Cyborg led him into the lift and pressed the button on the lift.

They made their way to the kitchen where Murdoc sat at the table with a rum glass in his trembling hand breathing heavily. He was looking down at the table paying no attention to the singer and the Cyborg. His wide alert eyes had bags underneath as he hadn't slept well the whole night and he looked so 'on the edge' that 2D thought he might jump up and randomly kill something or someone at any time.

The Cyborg stood in the corner while 2D wandered over to the fridge, tossing Murdoc uneasy looks in case this was planned and he would end up dead on the floor any moment.

"M-Mornin' Muds."

He didn't look up. All that moved was his hand with the rum glass in. The contents of the glass were splashing over the side uncontrollably and the ice clattered against the glass. 2D just assumed he hadn't any cigarettes yet and opened the fridge door. He rummaged through the gross and unspeakable contents for something decent that _wasn't_ alcohol. The smell from inside was putrifyingly bad but he had gotten used to it over time. His fingers finally fell upon a bunch of bananas that looked slightly edible; he snapped one of the bananas off and closed the door. He tried to make conversation with the bassist while he peeled his banana so the situation didn't feel so awkward.

"Y-Yeh kno', ah 'ad a weird dream las' nigh'. Ah wen' ta see ya an' the ground caved in. Ya managed ta get 'old o' meh bu' no' fer long. Ah fell down dis….dis….'ell'ole an' Boogie got meh an' nicked me soul. It's weird 'cause….ya kno'….tha' were nearly what 'appened yesterday weren't it?"

The rum glass finally broke in Murdoc's tightly clenched hand making 2D jump and drop his breakfast. His hand was still shaking violently but his breathing quickened. He slowly turned his head towards the vocalist, his tired blood-shot eyes glaring at him. 2D closed his eyes and braced himself for impact. He knew it wouldn't be long before Murdoc killed him. However Murdoc took a deep breath and sighed.

"I….had the same dream," he said very matter-of-factly.

The singer opened his eyes "….Wha'?"

"I had the same dream 'D."

2D laughed nervously "N-No ya didn'. Ya can't 'av."

"2D, I did. You were frightened and tried to convince you you were gonna be ok….didn't I?"

2D didn't know what to say. How the hell did he know that? He tried to convince his captor that he was making this up.

"Ah would be frightened though. Ah can't jus' dive straight into the pits of 'ell wiff an open mind like you do can ah? Maybe ya jus' knackered, you look REALLY knackered."

He said the last bit with a small nervous laugh to try and lighten the mood. It didn't work. Murdoc stood up so quickly he knocked his chair over. 'Now I'm for it!' 2D thought to himself.

"I've been up all bloody night because I was trying to work out what the bloody hell happened to you on the bloody beach yesterday, THAT'S why!" he snarled.

2D backed into the corner and shrank down cowering with his arms over his head. Murdoc rolled his eyes and looked at the robot who was staring blankly back at him.

"Cyborg, go to my room. There's an old brown book on my pillow, bring it to me."

"Yes master."

She bowed to him before disappearing in the lift.

"Where's she goin'?"

"To get a book. After looking through my collection of satanic books about 7 million times each last night I did find something. But, I don't think you'll like it much."

"Why? Wha' is it?" He was eager and nervous to actually learn what the Satanist had discovered.

"Master?"

They turned to see Cyborg standing next to Murdoc with the book in her hand.

"Bloody hell, that was quick!" exclaimed Murdoc taking the book from her hands. She saluted to him before returning to her corner to watch the scene unravel.

Murdoc pulled his chair back up and sat down beckoning his prisoner over. 2D got up and slowly edged forward inch by inch, now really _not_ wanting to know what Murdoc had to say. If it's from a satanic book then it is never going to end well. He slowly pulled up a chair while Murdoc flicked through the book. He finally pulled out a loose piece of paper grinning.

"Got it. You ready to learn my boy?"

"No."

"Well tough, you're learning anyway."

He thrust the paper in front of 2D who placed it on the table so they could both see. The singer's face went pale.

"No…..No….." he mumbled. "Th-Tha' can't be right."

The diagram was of a man with his arms and legs stretched out like the figure once drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci. He had different tags and labels strapped to him with different meanings of what certain parts of the body did. 2D's gaze was immediately drawn to one particular element of the drawing…..

Angel wings.

"M-Muds…'m no' an angel. 'm jus' no', LOOK A' MEH!"

He jerked up and motioned at himself.

"No thanks, I'd rather not."

"MURDOC! PLEASE! Ah-Ah don' wanna believe dis!"

"Tough, believe it. You think I'm going to go to a doctor to see if you're actually ill?"

2D folded his arms and turned his head away like a child having a tantrum.

"What _actual_ proof d'ya 'av?"

"You were glowing in the sunlight for Christ's sake!"

He shrugged. "No ah weren't."

"The sun went in. I saw you glowing with my own two eyes! Hang on…..the dream!"

2D scoffed. "Wha' 'bout it?"

"We had the same dream. When angels are in trouble their dreams are sent to others subconsciously for help, like an S.O.S. It says right here. You can't deny _that_ happened Faceache."

No one said anything for a long time while 2D processed this new information. He looked back at the bassist and looked a lot calmer than he did.

"People 'av dreams wiff others in. Are they all angels then?"

"It's unlikely but sometimes true. I'm still not totally convinced you are one though. If you were you'd end up being some preacher or something. You have done a lot of s**t bad stuff in your lifetime."

"Well, there you go, 'm not an angel. Now Muds, ah gotta go…."

2D was about to walk away when Murdoc shouted after him.

"Don't walk away from me Dent Head!"

He froze. He'd learnt a long time ago not to ignore the bassist….well….unless he _was_ feeling suicidal. Murdoc clicked his fingers.

"I know how we can find out. It's a bit extreme but you'll have to go with it."

He went to the lift and pressed the button. Cyborg marched to stand next to him. When the doors opened he looked back at the singer who hadn't moved at all. Murdoc rolled his eyes at the idiot he had been, he felt, eternally sentenced to.

"You can move now Faceache!"

**Dun-dun-DUNNNN! This isn't good. Is 2D an angel or isn't he? Well, find out next time. Maybe.**


	4. Chapter 4

Why Can't I claim the Angel (part 4)

Alright, I'm back again. Hope you like what I've got in store today. Enjoy!

"You've got ta be kidding!" moaned 2D.

He, Murdoc and Cyborg were standing outside on Plastic beach, facing the ocean. The skies were grey and cloudy and barely any sunlight was striking through. The sea was calm and not really moving at all. 2D was standing on his own with Murdoc and Cyborg standing very far behind him. Murdoc had his arms folded and was tapping his foot impatiently. They had been standing there for a very long time.

"'Ow long do ah 'av ta stand 'ere for? Ma feet are starting ta 'urt an' 'm bored," 2D moaned again.

"Well excuse me for not entertaining you when there could be a potential crisis in hand!" hissed Murdoc "Just give it a minute, you'll be glowing in a minute….trust me."

2D looked up at the grey clouds.

"Eeerrr…..nuffink yet."

"You were glowing last time Faceache! I'm sure of it!"

"But 'm not now. Maybe you were wrong. Can I go in yet?"

The bassist resisted attacking the singer. He hated it when people said he was wrong, even if he was! He then had a brainwave.

"Why don't you start singing? That might help."

"Singing? 'm no' singing owt 'ere. It's embarrassing, an' ah look stupid enough as it is."

"For Satan's sake, there's no one here other than you, me and Cyborg, and we've heard you sing loads of times!" (However Murdoc was wrong; from the side of the building a figure _was_ watching them. The Boogieman was back!)

He looked from one distant figure to the other. First Cyborg Noodle; she was just staring ahead not moving in the slightest. He didn't have much of a problem with her, anything she did do was programmed by…. _that _man.

Then he glared at Murdoc who was shouting at 2D for some reason, he wasn't sure why. He hated that slimy bassist with every breath in his artificial body. As much as he tried he never got to his soul, no matter how many times he was sent. The bassist wasn't smart enough to avoid his attacks, he was just lucky it didn't do much damage.

Then he looked at 2D who had turned around to shout back at Murdoc. It was odd, to Boogie, this was the only person who has ever shown him the slightest bit of affection. What does he do with him though? The last time he tried to take 2D he nearly burnt his hands. How the hell did that happen? He'd been thinking about the boy for a long time since the incident and, after much consideration, he had decided why he wanted him. It wasn't for his soul but….

"'M still no' singing!" 2D yelled cutting the Boogieman from his thoughts "Ah ain't a bloody canary!"

Murdoc marched up to him and held him by his shirt collar.

"You _**are**_ singing," he snarled "or you'll be broken on the ground again waiting for Boogie to get you, and this time I ain't helping you out! Now I ain't sure you want that so this is your final chance. SING!"

He let him go and walked over to Cyborg where he waited impatiently. 2D sighed and looked back up at the grey sky. What other choice did he have? Everyone watched as he took another step forward so his bare toes were being gently touched by the small waves. Finally he began to sing.

"_Oh joys arise, the sun has come again, to hold you,_

_Sailing out the doldrums of the week._

_The polyphonic prairies here, it's all around you,_

_It's all around you, I'm here."_

As he sang the beautifully melancholy song the sky did seem to brighten up slightly, but it wasn't anything that could be called supernatural. During this part of the song Murdoc turned and finally caught sight of the peering Boogieman. This wasn't a good sign. He tapped Cyborg on the shoulder and pointed at him.

"Keep an eye on him Cyborg, you don't know what he's planning."

Cyborg nodded and loaded the rifle she had been holding in case 2D made a run for it. She pointed it at the Boogieman in case he attacked and never took her eyes of him for a second.

"_And if the whole world is crashing down,_

_Fall through space out of mind again."_

2D had continued to sing throughout the mini-event. He thought he heard something in the background of his voice but that might have just been in his head because, every time he sang Empire Ants, the first thing he remembered was standing in their recording booth on Plastic Beach with Little Dragon facing him focusing on her lines and singing a duet with him. She was nice to work with and reminded him of Noodle a lot….Noodle….he still hoped she was ok. Thinking of her made his voice more melancholy and added to the effect.

"_Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising,_

_Lose all the shadows far away."_

The word 'away' echoed around them from above. Murdoc even looked around him to see who was doing it but then he smirked a bit. He knew he had been right the whole time; he'll tease 2D about it later.

"_The falling of the whole empire is here, to hold you,_

_Rolling out and haunted 'til it sleeps."_

As he sang his last line it soon became clear that there were voices singing with him. The angels were singing with him, as Murdoc had planned.

The singer tried not to react throughout his line but it was extremely difficult not to. The clouds had parted and a shaft of light was shining directly on to 2D.

Just then The Boogieman leapt out of his hiding place and glided swiftly towards him. He couldn't wait any longer, it had to be now! As he moved he sent a flash of black cloud at Cyborg Noodle before she had the chance to fire at him. She was sent flying and landed against the structure of Plastic Beach with a crack, now lying in a heap of broken mess sparking and twitching. The noise made Murdoc turn again in shock and, after realising where Boogie was going, he ran towards 2D, trying to get there first. This wasn't going to happen for a second time.

"Faceache! Get out the f**kin' way!" he yelled.

2D wasn't paying attention to anything, he was too distracted by what was happening to him. He looked at his hands to find them sparkling brilliantly. His whole body was glistening more brightly than yesterday. Jesus….Murdoc was right! He looked up to see a glittering golden swirl of dust falling from the clouds towards him. He raised his hand to shield his eyes so he could see it better. Both Murdoc and Boogie were both inches away from him when the next magical thing happened.

A powerful blast of light came from 2D literally sending the satanic figures flying away from him. 2D clutched his head and closed his eyes tight shut. There was an unbearable pain flowing through his body causing him to scream. He prayed this was all just a dream and that he'd wake up in his bed again but alas, this was very real. The pain soon centred in his back and felt like it was trying to break out. 2D arched his body in agony when he felt the pain growing from his back in two places. They grew longer and he heard his clothes rip as they pushed out into the open. The others couldn't see what was going on because of the brilliant light that surrounded him.

Murdoc at this point was lying on his back having just regained consciousness. He slowly sat up to watch the light disappear around the singer….and then his jaw dropped.

2D was no longer in pain and began to examine himself for damage. There was none that knew of and he shrugged at Murdoc.

"Nuffink 'appened. Wha' was the point a tha'?"

"T-T-There's something on your back," Murdoc stammered.

It was unusual for Murdoc to be stammering so 2D knew it was serious. He cautiously placed his hands on his back and patted around for clues…eventually getting the shock of his life when he felt something fluffy…and flat…like wings…_wings!_

"…AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! HOLY F**KIN' 'ELL!"

He now had a pair of very small white wings.

He staggered, fell over and landed on his back. As his tiny brain tried to process what was going on, he began blindly calling out to the only person that might know how to help.

"M-Muds…MUDS!"

"What?"

"Wha' the 'ell jus' 'appened?"

"How the f**k am I meant to know Faceache? You've just turned into an angel, that's all I can see!"

"….C-Can ya be a bit more helpful 'den dat?"

Murdoc stood up and began to walk towards him.

"I could be but…..Faceache! …WATCH OUT!"

The bassist began to back away. The Boogieman had regained consciousness too, having leapt up he headed straight for 2D. The singer had looked up and then immediately hunched into a ball, covering his head with his arms and whimpering to himself. He wasn't aware that he could fight back with his new angel skills and just cowered inside.

The Boogieman placed his hands on 2D but instantly let go. His hands were physically burning and marks from where he had touched the singer were still visible for a few seconds. 2D's face tightened in pain and he covered his ears. Murdoc raised an eyebrow at him, _he _couldn't hear anything, so why _was_ 2D covering his ears?

The creature looked at the cowering boy who had now lifted his hands away from his ears and was looking back at Boogie with fear in his eyes.

"W-What's 'appening?" the singer whispered to no one in particular.

The Boogieman lowered his head as his familiar black cloud engulfed him and he disappeared into the ground. Just after he disappeared 2D fell on his side with his eyes closed and panting. Murdoc watched as the wings on 2D's back slowly faded away with the holes in his shirt clearly visible. 2D groaned and sat up slowly. He tried to stand but his legs were too weak from the shock. He held out his hand for help and Murdoc had no choice but to help him up. The bassist then quickly marched over to the broken Cyborg that had now stopped twitching and cursed.

"S**t! I only fixed her last week!"

He scooped the robot in his arms and began to walk up the stairs to the front door. He turned back to 2D who was staring into nothing, trying to piece together what had just happened. He ran his hands over his wingless back and sighed with relief.

"Oi you! I thought your feet hurt! Hurry up!"

2D slowly followed Murdoc who by now had kicked the front door open and was heading to his workspace to start repairing the cyborg (again!). Just as 2D was about to enter the building he stopped and sighed thoughtfully.

"Dis is one ah my favourite shirts as well," he muttered before stumbling in through the doorway and closing the door behind him.

**Ok…that was normal. This, believe it or not, is roughly what I think of when I hear of Empire Ants (which is an amazing song) with some bits changed to improve it for public viewing. Until next time then!**


	5. Chapter 5

Why Can't I Claim The Angel? (Part 5)

The next chapter is here! Just a heads up, all information about angels that I have written may not be true (if Stephanie Meyer can get away with making up things about vampires I think I'm safe). Enjoy!

2D sat on a stool in the recording studio, still trembling. He kept feeling his back to make sure the wings were well and truly gone (which they were every single time that he checked). His anxiety began to grow as he continued to think about what had happened that morning. What did this mean for him? Was his entire life a lie? …. or was there some kind of good explanation needed? Maybe it was just a scam Murdoc had set up. Yeah, it had to be! What else could it be? ...But how did he manage to pull it off? 2D had to face the facts, there was no scam. No one could pull that off and later say "I got you didn't I!" He wished someone would say that. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate, to clear his mind so he could get a bit of peace. However no matter how hard he tried it was still there, the fear and worry, it just wouldn't go away.

There was a loud slam that made him jump and quit his meditation attempt. Murdoc had entered and slammed the door behind him. He sat on a large speaker and lit a cigarette. Why hadn't 2D thought of having one? They normally calmed him down.

"'Ow's Cyborg?" the singer asked, breaking the silence.

Murdoc shrugged. "She's been through worse. Had to replace a couple of wires and stuff that got singed, gave her the upgrade I promised and after a quick charge she should be back to normal."

2D just nodded and looked at the floor. Murdoc wasn't in the mood for talking and didn't really care what was wrong was him, even though 2D felt that talking might help understand what had happened. He was the closest person he knew that had a little knowledge for that kind of stuff. The singer then realised;

"_Hey! I'm the one with the problem, not him. I'm going to find out what's going on! Stuff Murdoc!"_

His voice unfortunately wasn't as confident as his mind.

"Urm…..Muds?"

"What now?"

"D-Didn't ya 'ear it?"

Murdoc looked around the room, confused.

"What the hell do you mean?"

2D sighed and said quietly;

"You 'eard Boogie didn' ya?"

Murdoc tilted his head. "This morning?"

"Yeah. You 'eard it?"

Murdoc shook his head. 2D stared at him as if he was mad.

"Don't give me that look Faceache! It just lowers your IQ by about 300%."

"'Ow did ya no' 'ear it? Don' ya kno' 'ow loud tha' creature can scream?"

"He can't scream! He can't even talk! You're just….."

He stopped and closed his eyes. He'd read about this, he should've known this would happen. He'd forgotten that spiritual creatures had a form of special communication just for them to hear.

"Of course 'e can talk. 'E spoke ta meh in ma dream…'e said 'e wanted ma soul. Does 'e still wan' it?"

Murdoc didn't say anything. He just felt disappointed; he'd known 2D for years and it turned out he was some sort of angel. Satanists and angels have never got on so it was no wonder they never had.

"Murdoc!"

"WHAT!" he snapped.

The loud shout made the singer cower in shock.

"A-Ah wondered if Boogie would wan' ma soul now?"

"….. not anymore, no."

2D nearly dropped his jaw in shock.

"Wha'….really?"

"Demons don't want angel souls, too risky. Even Boogie wouldn't want to try it."

"Bu' the dream…"

"Probably just you being scared."

2D thought for a minute before speaking.

"So wha' 'appens ta meh now?"

"I dunno, carry out your normal life knowing something different about yourself or some other crap along those lines."

2D watched his captor blow out the smoke from the cancer stick. Murdoc saw him, he looked like a puppy waiting for his master to give him some food from the dinner table, he knew he wanted a cigarette too. He pulled one out of the box in his pocket and offered it. Strangely the singer shook his head.

"If ah'm some kinda angel ah don' fink ah'm allowed 'em am ah?"

"Don't be a wuss, just take it. No one will know."

"No, a-ah won't. Ah don' wan' it."

Murdoc shrugged. "Alright. It's here if you change your mind though."

The bassist knew 2D would give up instantly as soon as he set the cigarette on the floor next to him. He wanted to see how long he could torture him for before all the angel chat disappeared from his mind.

The singer was at first quite calm and showed no signs of cracking. However he did begin to fidget more and sigh really loudly to distract himself, although he was still doing quite well.

"Oh hang on, where are my manners? I didn't give you a lighter did I?" the bassist suddenly said in a sarcastic friendly voice.

Murdoc took his lighter from his pocket and placed it next to the cigarette which still hadn't been touched.

"Here, borrow mine."

This made the temptation a hell of a lot worse for him. It was like being on a diet and resisting an offer of cake ….. but then finding out it was chocolate. Murdoc unhelpfully just watched, smirking, enjoying every moment of watching his prisoner try to resist. 2D could now not take him eyes of the devil's temptation and began to bite his lip. He found himself leaning forward and biting his nails to hold himself back. He was trembling and his breathing was louder. He couldn't take it anymore. 2D reached for the cigarette and lighter and, placing the stick in his lips, lit it and inhaled several breaths. Murdoc scoffed.

"You are pathetic Faceache," he said "just pathetic."

"Oh yeah? Ah'd like ta see you try and resist wiff ya nicotine levels running low. At least ah can fink straight now."

When he had calmed down he remembered what he was going to say before Murdoc distracted him with the cigarette issue.

"Why ain't ah still got wings though? Wha' appened ta 'dem?"

"I think …. you could just be half angel. You've got the look and wings and s**t but you don't think or act like one. They disappear every now and again I think."

"So ah don' 'av some important purpose for being 'ere den?"

"Don't think so. All I know is that you're my singer and should stop whining about this!"

"…Ah mus' be _somefink_ though…"

"Oh for Satan's sake, SHUT UP ABOUT IT!"

He sat up right quickly and the singer copied in case there was a fight to follow.

"You only have one purpose in your worthless little life and that's not because you're an angel! You sing in this band and that's it! If I'd have known sooner I wouldn't have let you anywhere near me or this band but since you're already here and people want you I can't throw you out without everyone getting suspicious! If anyone learns of this, Satan knows what issues you'll get yourself into."

He sat back down after his little rant and stubbed his now finished cigarette in the ground.

"Muds," 2D began sheepishly "Can ah ask ya one more fing? Ah kno' ya don' wanna answer bu' can you? Jus' dis once?"

It was quiet for a moment or two before Murdoc sighed.

"This better be the last thing, you hear? What is it?"

"Well … will ah still be normal?"

"… what do you mean?"

"Ah mean, ah won't jus' suddenly turn back into an angel again will ah?"

Murdoc stood up again and began to walk out the room.

"Can't guarantee anything but, I don't think so. Not unless you want to of course. No one will know the difference. However if you see anything weird and mysterious happening...well...better stay away from it ey? You don't want the CIA after you either." he teased.

He left without another word. The bassist didn't mention any new powers the kid may still have but that was deliberate. It would be too much for his little brain to handle … and he didn't want 2D to think he was now the dominant one.

2D still wasn't satisfied with this. It hadn't helped settle his nerves in the slightest. He looked at his burnt out cigarette and just dropped it on the floor. He was a rubbish angel, was he even that? It was still so confusing. Why had no one told him before? Did his parents know about this? Had there been people all through his life trying to hunt him down and use him for evil purposes? He just didn't know …. or know if he wanted to know. He looked out of the window at the beautiful sunset which turned the sky into mixtures of red, orange, yellow and pink and make the sea glisten. It was the little things that kept him sane and sunsets were always one of them. After a few moments of calm reflection he had a fresh idea. If he wanted answers then why not ask the angels themselves? What could possibly go wrong?

**Well that took long enough to finish! HOW LONG WAS I GONE FOR! I got stuck and just did other things and hoped something would fly into my head. What do the angels have to say about this then? Find out next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Why Can't I Claim the Angel? (Part 6)

I hate procrastination, that's all I have to say. Still, I'm actually looking forward to writing the next two chapters! I've got so many ideas! Anyway, next chapter. Enjoy!

He couldn't sleep, he was too anxious on what the angels would say about him…_if_ they were going to talk to him. 2D just lay on his bed waiting until he was absolutely sure neither Murdoc nor Cyborg would notice he had disappeared. Besides, he would only be gone for a minute or two. He could rarely have a decent sleep in his pokey little undersea room anyway. Normally the whale would keep him awake for most of the night and Murdoc (or Cyborg if her master couldn't be bothered) had to draw the curtains in his room to stop him screaming the whole night. The bassist didn't particularly care about the singer's wellbeing, he just didn't want him to wear his precious little voice out.

2D waited for the perfect time before creeping out of his bed towards the lift door. After watching his captor unlocking the lift door to leave the room 2D had noticed the secret way that Murdoc could get out and prevent him from doing so (there was basically a switch behind one of his posters that opened the door). After flicking the switch and getting in the lift 2D pressed the button to the main entrance. The lift moved incredibly slowly that sometimes it seemed like it had stopped altogether! All the time the pressure was getting to him and he knew that he could be busted for 'trying to escape' at any moment and would be double-locked in his room or, even worse, be thrown to the whale!

Finally the lift doors opened and 2D quickly stepped out. No one was watching so he easily stepped outside onto the hard plastic ground. It was cold but he didn't feel it. His anxiety was making him feel warmer; this wasn't a good thing. His heart was pulsing against his chest and his palms were sweating and shaking. He felt like he was going to be sick but he knew he had to do this to find out who he really was. 2D looked up at the dark clouded sky. There was a distant rumble which normally meant that a storm was coming. Storms were common on Plastic Beach but they were much more terrifying than back at Kong Studios. What if this wasn't going to take a few minutes? What if he never saw Plastic Beach again? …was that even a _bad_ thing? He couldn't delay it anymore, he needed to get the angels' attention. How would he do that? He supposed he could sing again. It worked the first time. 2D took a deep breath and begun his part of the song he had in mind.

"_Oh Stylo,_

_Go for blossom in your soul,_

_When you know your heart is light,_

_Electric is the love."_

He paused for a moment hoping that he had got their attention. He didn't hear anything other than the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the wind blowing on his face and another rumble in the distance. Maybe they've gone to bed too and didn't hear him. He really didn't want to sing randomly to the sky but he couldn't stop now. He quickly turned around to see that no one was watching him make a fool of himself before continuing the song.

"_When the macaw flies,_

_Up from the bottom in your eyes,_

_Then I know the twilight skies,_

_Not so broken heart."_

There was finally a reaction after the second verse. It had seemed that the angels were providing their own heavenly backing track this time. The clouds faintly parted after the singing and a familiar beam of golden light fell on the singer once again lighting up the entire beach behind him. 2D shielded his eyes to try see upwards but it was so blindingly bright he couldn't see anything.

"Why am ah 'ere?" he yelled up to them in case they turned him into an angel again "Why is all dis 'appening ta meh? Am ah 'ere for somefink? Please answer meh!"

There was silence for a long time. Maybe they weren't going to answer him, maybe he was never meant to know. This annoyed him but also scared him further.

"Look, there's no point in finking o' some kinda excuse, ah wanna kno' da truff. Ah jus' need ta kno'…"

Before 2D could continue he felt the ground start to tremble making him nearly fall over. The ground began cracking underneath his feet before finally caving in. Before he could move away 2D fell through the hole spinning uncontrollably. He just kept seeing the dark pink walls around him moving faster and faster and felt a wind blowing in his face. 2D closed his eyes and screamed. (Déjà vu much?) Was this a punishment for questioning angels? He was heading for Hell for sure now. How long was this going to last?

After what seemed like forever he felt himself land on something hard and he screwed his face up in pain. Now where the hell was he? His eyes slowly opened to be faced with the front of a building. 2D slowly stood up and looked around. He was in the middle of a quiet street with some shops on one side and the entrance to a park on the other. It must be the middle of the night because it was extremely dark and the only light was the dim glow of the streetlamps that were scattered evenly down the pavements and some shop lights that were left on. The place looked familiar but he couldn't work out why. Just then it hit him, how on earth did he manage to forget where he was?!

"I-I'm home." he said quietly to himself.

This was the street where he grew up, it was so obvious now! The angels had brought him home! 2D couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry he was so happy. He smiled and covered his mouth in case either thing happened. There were so many things he now wanted to do, follow the old pathways of his childhood, find all his old school friends and former work colleagues and just be free, out of that Plastic hell and back into his childhood haven. The main thing he wanted to do though was find his parents. They will be so happy that he's ok and he would be more than happy to see them again after what he's been through. They wouldn't believe it and, naturally, their hatred of his (hopefully) former captor would be even stronger but it was worth it to see them again.

There was a sound behind the singer which made him turn around. A shop door opened and an Indian man in a motoring jacket stepped out, turning off the lights and locking the door behind him. The man didn't even notice 2D as he walked away from him. It took 2D a while to work out why he was familiar. This was Mr Ahamad, the old man who worked at the local corner shop. He recognised him from the jacket. He was a huge motoring sports fan and 2D had never seen him without it. 2D and his mates had been regular customers at his shop when they were school kids but not always for the right reasons. Sometimes they would nick sweets from the shop and, as they grew older, also nicked cigarettes. They were good at this for a long time but they were eventually caught and banned from his shop for life.

2D wondered how Mr Ahamad was doing nowadays or if he even knew who he now was. He was about to walk over to say 'hello' and hopefully make amends but then noticed something slightly shocking.

'_He looks younger than he used to, a _lot_ younger!'_

The man he just saw had a thick head of smooth black hair underneath a baseball cap with youthful brown eyes and a neat little moustache on his top lip. The man he _remembered_ had greying frizzy black hair, a long shaggy beard and looked like he'd seen better days. Oh this was weird. What was going on? This was definitely Mr Ahamad ….. but was he so much younger? Something wasn't right.

He then saw a man in a pinstripe jacket and bowler hat hurriedly walk past him and tried to chase after him.

"Excuse meh, excuse meh mate! Could ya tell meh where…"

2D had reached out to tap him on the shoulder only to find his hand slip straight through him! He gasped and backed away, missing the kerb and falling on the road. Staggering to his feet he frantically looked around clutching his head. Was he dead? Did he even exist? Where was he? Was this still the same place he had once called home, or was this some crazy alternative universe? Why was he sent here in the first place? So many questions were flying around his head and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answers. This didn't help explain why he was half angel and just scared him further! His heart was slamming against his chest and he felt like he was going to pass out. This panic attack was worse than the previous by three thousand miles!

"What the f**k?" he yelled up to the sky "What the f**k does dis even mean?!"

Just then there was a screeching sound and something black swooped down straight into his face. He lifted his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself.

"AAAARRRGGHHH! Get away from meh ya demon o' 'ell!"

It didn't listen and continued to flap and attack; but it didn't claw at him as if it was only trying to distract him. It finally stopped when a voice from in front commanded;

"Raphael! Leave him! This is who we want."

At the command the terrifying bird flew out of 2D's and he brushed the stray feathers out of his face.

"Sorry about that, he's quite protective towards me. He's not always keen on new people." The voice sounded neither friendly nor intimidating so it was hard to tell if this was going to be a friend or foe.

2D looked up and saw a dark figure walk towards him. The bird landed on its shoulder. As soon as the figure was out of the shadows he was quite surprised to see it was a young girl, only about 16-17. She was wearing a long black flowing cloak – with a dark blue interior – and there was a red ribbon tied around her neck. She also wore purple jeans and black boots. Hanging from her neck was a very long chain with four pendants on which, he realised after a while, resembled each of the band. There was a Japanese flag, a ghost (Russel was possessed at one point by Del the Ghost Rapper), an anti-Christ cross (Murdoc's a Satanist) and a painkiller (2D's painkiller addiction). He could see the bird that attacked him clearly now. It was a large crow with scruffy black feathers and, strangely, piercing ice blue eyes.

"I-It's fine." He was quite surprised at what was now happening.

"If I'm honest though you do look a bit like many of the demons we have to see off from the human realm 2D…..or do you prefer to be called Stuart?"

He stumbled back a bit after this. How did she know his name?! He daren't ask.

"Urr….urm…2D's fine."

"Sure thing."

"W-Who are you?" asked 2D.

"I'm not too important at the moment. All you need to know now is that I'm here to show you what's going on."

2D nodded slowly. The girl stroked Raphael on the head.

"Make your way to the meeting point. We'll follow you there."

Raphael cawed once and flew off into the distance leaving her and 2D alone.

"Does 'e understand ya?"

"He's my familiar ….. of course he does. "

"Familiar?"

"You know witches are accompanied by animals like cats and frogs? They are their familiars, it's basically a fancy word for a witch's pet. Raphael's my contact to your mortal world and the one who helped bring you here if you are interested to know."

"So…..ya no' 'uman?"

"You've only just noticed?"

She walked forward in the direction her bird went before turning back to the confused singer.

"You've got a lot of questions to ask haven't you?"

He nodded.

"Follow me then, I'll try to answer as best I can."

They walked together down the street. 2D began to feel cold but that was probably because he was with someone who didn't technically exist. The spirit was getting annoyed at her new companion continually looking around anxiously and drumming his fingers together. She tried to tolerate it for a time but finally she snapped.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Can anyone see us?"

"No, you ever read The Christmas Carol? We're like The Ghost of Christmas Past. No one will be able to see or hear us, we will leave no imprint on what we will see. This is just a repeat of what was and it can't be changed."

"Cool. So…..What do you do 'ere den?"

"I'm your guide to the unknown spirit realm. You're going to need to know about it since you now know a bit more about yourself."

"Hang on…..ah neveh got yer name."

The spirit sighed. "My name? My name's Alexius if you must know. Can we please reframe from asking questions about me when it's you who's the one that needs to learn about himself?"

He nodded and stared straight ahead.

"Am ah really 'alf angel or was Murdoc jus' sayin' tha' d'ya fink?"

"I don't know what you two talk about but I'll check for you. Look at me."

2D stopped and turned to the spirit who grabbed him by the face. She stuck her fingers into his eyeholes and literally pulled him forward like that to look inside his eyes.

"Ahh!" he cried "Is this necessary?"

"Completely … hmmm … yep, sorry but, through what I can see, you're half angel."

Alexius tapped him on the shoulder to keep him moving. It was silent as they walked for a very long time.

"Just try to relax." Alexius suddenly told him.

"Ah didn' say anyfing."

"You're nervous. I know that much, and who wouldn't be?"

"So why am ah 'ere?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

2D's stomach felt very unsettled and he began to find it hard to walk without feeling like he would fall over. He was about to ask how long it was going to take until they reach wherever the heck they were going when a 'caaaawwww' from a nearby tree answered his question. The large black bird flew out of the tree and onto Alexius's outstretched arm.

"We're here." She announced "Look familiar?"

He slowly turned to his side to see he was on the other side of the road to a semi-detached house with red bricks, and a brown door at the top of a small flight of steps. His jaw hung open a little when he saw it. This house wasn't just any old house to him.

This was his parents' house, his old home. Why had she led him here?

Can anyone guess what will happen next? Find out next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Why Can't I Claim the Angel? (Part 7)

I am so annoyed with myself for not continuing with this as much as I should have. Yes, I have had exams and stuff but still, it is bad and I know how annoying it is when you have to wait forever for something to update. I must try and stop this somehow but - until then – here's another chapter. Enjoy!

"I thought you'd tag onto this _sooner_ if I'm completely honest."

Alexius's voice disturbed 2D's horror-filled gaze at his parents' house which loomed in front of him.

"W-Why am ah 'ere?"

"You wanted to know the truth. That is what I am showing you."

"A-Ah fink a ch-changed ma m-mind" he stammered.

Alexius rolled her eyes and began to walk up the steps to the front door but stopped on the middle step. Raphael flew from her shoulder and onto the small hand railing. The crow glared at the frightened singer and looked wearily up at his mistress as if he was wondering why they even bothered to do this.

"You can't do that 2D, it's too late for that. I promise to be quick but you must see what I have to show you. I will be with you, you are not going to be alone."

It was silent as 2D closed his eyes and just stood there, his head lowered. Nothing could be heard apart from the wind blowing, moving 2D's hair and Alexius's cape. She gripped the handrail becoming slightly impatient.

"2D?"

Finally he spoke. "…Wha' year is it? Ah wanna kno' wha' ta be prepared for."

The spirit took a deep breath and sat on the step she was standing on.

"9th August 1977 … does that date mean anything to you?"

He thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'd make this sound more spiritual than it actually is but, if you want the simple explanation…this was the night you were conceived, created…if you know what I mean."

"A-Ah don't fink so."

Thankfully she didn't need to try and explain it further as he finally managed to piece it together.

"Oh! Oh…what? Oh no! I'm not gonna…"

"You honestly thought that I would show you something like _that!_? I hope your mind is mature enough to deal with the rest of tonight. You were born two weeks premature which of course wasn't your fault but…there was something else that happened. That is what you need to see."

She stood up and went to the front door. 2D slowly crept behind her, his mind racing. He just wanted to know why couldn't she just tell him? He'd believe her! How could he _not_ believe her in a place like this?!

Before 2D could ask how they were going to get inside Alexius simply walked through the closed door as if it wasn't there. The crow squawked and flew after her, also slipping through the door. He blinked a few times and tilted his head to one side. How did she do that? …. oh yeah, she didn't exist, and neither did this place. He cautiously lifted his hand and moved it to the door. His fingers disappeared through the door. It didn't feel like anything, just air, but he still shot it back in surprise. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Hurry up!" called an irritated voice from inside.

He jumped at the voice and just marched through the door trying not to think too hard about the fact that he had just broken the laws of…..well…..everything!

2D looked around the hallway, memories streaming back to his tiny mind. This was definitely the same house but it was so dark and scary, so seemingly unrealistic that it seemed like a dream, as if the floor was suddenly going to swallow him whole (again!). He could still go around the entire house blindfolded he was so familiar with it.

The door to the living room was open and 2D could see all the furniture inside. He remembered almost all the things that happened in that little room. Birthday parties had happened in that room and when relatives visited them they would all gather in there to chat. Well, his parents chatted, he had to sit there in the itchy jumper that his aunt had made for him that he had only ever worn at that point and could only speak when he was spoken to.

The main thing he remembered was the quiet evenings his family spent in there. His parents watched some comedy programme on the TV while little Stuart lay on the floor drawing zombie pictures and not paying attention. He would show them his completed artwork with pride, his dad would smile and ruffle his hair a bit while his mum just stare at it in confusion and say "That's nice Stu." Little memories like that made the singer smile. If only he could go back to those simple times, before all of this mess happened.

"If you could kindly make your way up the stairs and stop reminiscing for the moment it would be highly appreciated!"

"S-Sorry."

He wasn't sorry at all, he enjoyed thinking back to his youth. Nevertheless he went to the staircase and looked up at the spirit who was looking down on him. 2D held the wooden staircase and slowly went up the stairs. He even remembered the staircase well, he'd once got his head stuck between the railings! Now that was a long and hard story to explain. He reached the top of the stairs when Alexius stood with Raphael on her shoulder. They seemed to glare at him for a moment. Maybe it was because he took too long. 2D smiled a little to relief the tension. The spirit and her familiar just slowly turned and moved to a door further down the little corridor.

2D turned to see one of the doors wide open on the other side of the corridor. That would be his room in under a year. At the moment there was an old, unmade bed with hundreds of cardboard boxes either on or stacked around in piles around the bed. He couldn't believe he would be living in there soon. Everything was so dark and gloomy, only the moonlight streaked around the house leaving a dim blue light to guide their path.

"This way."

Alexius was now going through a door at the end of the other side. Of course he knew that room, he hadn't been allowed in there much. It was his parents' room. He slowly crept towards the door, paused and then walked through like his guide did before him.

In the middle of the room was a large double bed. Obviously there were other furniture in the room but this one stood out the most. There were two figures asleep in the bed, the blue light coming from the window lit them up in its mysterious light. Raphael was perched on the windowsill looking down on the two mortals. One of them was quite large and short while the other was longer and thinner. A lump appeared in 2D's throat and his eyes began to sting.

"M-Mum….Dad…." he mumbled.

There they were, David and Rachael Pot, his parents. He wanted to wake them up, tell them he was OK, he just wanted to be with them again. But he couldn't because this was only a vision. This David and Rachael didn't know him, heck they didn't even have children…...yet.

2D dug his head into his hands and sniffed. He didn't want to cry but might be about to. Alexius looked up to him.

"Are you OK?" She didn't sound sympathetic nor did she seem to be the opposite. It was as if she went through the same thing all the time…and she probably did.

"A-Ah'm fine…'onest."

He placed his hands by his sides and shook his head to snap himself out his thoughts. His eye-holes appeared red and a tear fell from the side of his face.

"I can't imagine the emotions you are going through. I apologise if this is daunting for you but I'm afraid there isn't anything that I can do to show you in any other way."

"No….'m fine really it's jus'….ah ain't seen them in years an'….an' ah really miss 'em an' …."

"I understand."

2D thought he saw something shine from the corner of his eye. He turned to see what it was but it was just the reflection of light from his dad's glasses on the bedside table. He was just anxious to know what was going to happen, what the magical event was that would explain his predicament.

And as soon as he had wondered, the event happened.

A bright clear light suddenly streamed through the window. Raphael screeched with fright and flew back onto Alexius's shoulder. The window pane faded away leaving just a gap in the wall. 2D's heart began to pound and he could feel it in his throat. This was it, the truth was in front of him, playing right now.

A figure suddenly materialised and climbed through the window. It perched there for a moment, looking at the sleeping couple. He then entered the room and stood dramatically still watching 2D's parents. His long white wings stretched out making him look more powerful. The angel was a handsome creature, like the blueprint of how a perfect man should look. Short black hair, eyes so light you couldn't tell what colour they were, muscular body hidden under a ripped tunic. The figure turned and almost seemed to look at 2D and Alexius, as if he knew they were there. For a moment 2D thought Alexius had nodded to the angel to tell him to carry out his mission.

The angel slowly looked away from them and moved closer to 2D's mother. She had rolled onto her back without knowing of the man's presence. 2D clenched his fists and felt himself shake with fear. What was he going to do with her? He wanted to tear him away and yell at him to leave his mother alone…but this wasn't his mother yet…and it was only a vision. There was nothing he could do, he could only watch.

The angel ran his hand down Rachael's forehead and placed his hand gently on her stomach. Finally he lent forward and placed his lips on her forehead. Underneath the hand just below her stomach it began to glow a dim golden light. When he released her, 2D saw he had left a perfect imprint of his hand in a golden light which soon faded. The angel looked out the window and climbed on the ledge. Looking back one last time at 2D's mother he descended out of the window and only the flapping of wings could be heard growing fainter. The light disappeared and the window frame re-appeared.

2D just stood there confused. What the hell had just happened? That was meant to make sense?! What had it done to his mother? He turned to ask his guide what had happened only to find she had disappeared. Almost in a panic he ran through the door and darted to the top of the stairs. He just managed to catch Alexius going through the front door.

"Wait!" he called.

He ran down the stairs almost falling over his own two feet in the process and ran after her through the door, the idea of just going through doors no longer bothering him. The spirit had reached the bottom of the steps and continued to walk on.

"Wait up!" he called again.

Finally she stopped and turned to him, her face still holding no emotion. He stopped and tried to catch his breath.

"W-Wha' 'appened? Ah still don' understand. Ali….Alexer….Ale…."

He sighed having not been able to pronounce her name properly.

"Can ah jus' call you Alex?"

She shrugged her shoulders "If you find it easier. You still don't understand you say?"

He nodded as another lump appeared in his throat.

"Tha' angel person…i-is he ma dad? Ma _real_ dad?"

"Of course he isn't, he just activated your mother's reproductive system for a short while."

"…..'er wha'?"

Alexius looked down, her face almost seeming to hold guilt which was the first piece of emotion he had seen from her. Finally she said quietly;

"Your mother …. she's infertile."

2D stared at her as if she'd done something distasteful.

"'Ow dare you say 'at! In dat case your mum's a….a…."

She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow in disbelief as he struggled to think of some sort of insult.

"Really? Are you that immature to think that I would insult your own mother? I'm telling the truth, she is unable to have children. She and your father had tried to have a child as organically as they could without the aid of medical help. She is a good woman, she cares for others and tries to see better in those who no one else does. That's even her job isn't it? A nurse?"

"D-Dat's right."

"You see the angels pitied her so they allowed her the opportunity to have the child that she so desperately wanted."

"Why are day always boys though? Ah nevah got tha'."

"I'm not an angel, I don't know. Your mother was so overjoyed that she was able to have a child at long last, to have you. They tried again to give you a sibling several years later only to discover that she was in fact infertile. She was happy though with just you. This I think is why you now are who you are. Some angel DNA must have gotten mixed up in your own and therefore it has decided to activate itself now."

As she spoke 2D sat down on the step and Raphael flew to perch near to him. 2D absent-mindedly and cautiously tried to stroke the bird only to have it squawk at him and fly up into a nearby tree.

"I wouldn't touch him. He only lets me and those he finds 'worthy' to touch him. He's like that, a bit spoilt. Look, this is besides the point, do you understand this a bit more?"

He nodded quickly. Being around 2D, Alexius decided, was indeed similar to trying to get a small child to cooperate with a reasonably complex task.

Suddenly the wind picked up which made the spirit straighten up as if she was on alert.

"Alex? Wha's 'appening?"

She didn't answer and slowly turned her head to the side to be looking in the way the wind was blowing.

"Wha's going on? Is dis part o' the past too?"

2D stood up and looked too but he couldn't see anything.

"What are you doing here?" he heard Alexius mumble to herself.

At that moment 2D finally saw a dark figure zip across the road and onto the other pavement before it wasn't visible anymore. It looked like a dog but bigger, and it moved in an ape-like manner with its arms swinging loosely in front of it. Its shaggy coat was an obvious feature even from the distance. It must have ran across the road hoping that it wouldn't be seen It made 2D feel a little weak at the knees, worried at what it could do, or what it wanted. Was there more of them? He had to know.

"Wha' d'ya see?"

Suddenly Alexius snapped around and pushed 2D away from here.

"Get back!" she hissed in haste.

"Wha' is i'?" 2D asked more loudly, now demanding an answer.

"It's none of your concern at the moment, it's my problem for now."

She turned back to the shadows to monitor the creature's movements.

"I've got to get you away" the spirit said quietly. "I'll take care of this first. Raphael, make sure it doesn't get any closer."

The crow flew out of the tree and towards the creature. It hovered over it and screeched at it if it moved any closer. This allowed Alexius to focus on removing 2D from the situation. She approached the singer who backed away a little.

"Wha' you doin'?"

"Sending you back. It's no longer safe for you to be here. I know you hate it on Plastic Beach but trust me, if you run anywhere else you will not be protected. I need to keep my watch over you."

She stepped back a little as 2D processed what she said. Before he could ask any more questions Alexius continued;

"Do not worry about your angel side, it is not important for now. I will let you know when I next need your services …. just continue your normal life as if nothing has happened."

"Wha' if ah need ta kno' somefing?"

"Look for Raphael. He can be seen by mortals much clearer than me. Wherever he is I am not far away."

She closed her eyes and slowly tilted her head back. She sighed and her arms began to slowly rise upwards. 2D gulped, worried what she was now going to do. However before anything magical or life-changing happened she abruptly stopped everything she was doing to say;

"Oh, just one more thing…."

"Alex, ya scared meh."

"My apologies but I have only just remembered something. Do not mention any of this to anyone, not even to Murdoc who I notice you seem to strangely trust with this new life of yours. For one they are unlikely to believe you but I cannot risk someone putting you in danger at this early stage."

Raphael suddenly cried out fending the creature off yet again and reminding Alexius that she had to get rid of 2D before it was too late.

"I must part with you now."

She looked up at him for a moment before she spoke for the final time.

"Farewell…...Stuart Pot."

"N-No….Wait!"

It was too late. A bright white light surrounded 2D consuming everything that had been around him, even Alexius. The white was so bright that it hurt his eyes. He shielded them by moving his arm in front of his face but even then he could feel the brightness attack him.

Finally he could feel the sickening brightness fade away at the sound of a thunder clap. Slowly he removed his arm to see he was staring out at the sea standing on a hard pink plastic ground. He was back in 'Hell'. He was back on Plastic Beach. It was as if he never left in the first place. It seemed that he hadn't because there had been a storm approaching when he disappeared.

It was the same storm.

The heavy downpour of rain finally fell on the stunned youth, saturating him in a matter of moments. He could stare out onto the sea, feeling the rain drip down his face and going through his clothes as he wondered what the hell had happened. Did it even happen? How was he to know? He needed this day to end in hope of understanding everything better.

2D sighed and turned to the front door. He slowly walked up the steps towards his own prison cell. There was no point in going anywhere else. He stopped only once to look for his spirit guide's pet whom she said would keep an eye on him. He couldn't see if the bird was there or not through the dark clouded sky. It disappointed him that his new friend was now almost completely out of reach, especially since she knew what was actually going on.

Just as he was about to go through the front door 2D's mind suddenly flew back to something Alexius had said to him.

"_It's my problem for now."_

The demonic creature they had encountered was her problem…_for now_?

If it was her problem _now_ then…whose problem would it be in the future?

**The suspense! What will now become of our hero? See you next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

Why Can't I Claim the Angel (Part 8)

How about I stop apologising and get on with it shall I? Enjoy!

The following day 2D didn't seem himself. He had too much running through his mind that it was hard to even contemplate. Murdoc picked this up almost instantly. 2D was in trouble as he had forgotten to show up for band practice; although it was hardly band practice in the singer's opinion as there were only two and a half band members on the island (Cyborg didn't count as a whole person in 2D's opinion). The machine was sent to drag him into the recording studio against his will. This wasn't unusual but it was necessary now and again to keep him in his place.

She returned a couple of minutes later pulling a submissive 2D behind her. He made no effort to break free and let her take him where she wanted. Cyborg released him as soon as he was in the recording studio where a frustrated Murdoc stood up and observed him carefully as if he was about to do something. The singer was hardly a threat; he just leant against the wall, eyes on the floor, looking sorry for himself and downright miserable.

"I didn't have to do that you know." Murdoc said "You could have remembered to show up for practice and happily walked in and I wouldn't be irritated at you as usual."

2D didn't answer him.

"I gave you half a bloody hour to remember but I'm not getting any younger waiting for you to show your sorry face."

"Hmm." That was the only noise 2D gave him to know he was actually listening.

He wanted to be alone, to think by himself, to take in everything he saw last night. Was it too much to ask? But no, he was the prisoner in this place. Unknown to him at the moment but with his new abilities he could destroy Murdoc in a heartbeat. Murdoc refused to let him know for that very reason and no one else who knew about what was actually going on had even thought to tell him. He was trapped in his lack of knowledge.

"So, now we've asserted our authority in this situation, shall we start band practice?"

"Hmm."

"You better gimme an answer involving _words_ next time. Do you want to do this or not?"

Suddenly words came out of 2D's mouth but they weren't what Murdoc was expecting to hear.

"We shouldn' be doin' dis." he said quietly.

"….._Excuse_ me?"

"We shouldn' be recording music wiffou' Russel an' Noodle. Dat fing over dare is jus' another kick in the teeth to what this used to be. Dat ain't Noodle no matter what you call 'er. Ah feel dirty doing dis wiffou' dem, ah feel like ah'm cheatin' on dem. Why aren' day 'ere?"

…_Oh s**t._ Had he just talked back to Murdoc? That was always a one-way ticket to even more misery. He realised this too late and before he could apologise he'd looked up just in time to see Murdoc punch him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Murdoc circled around him as he ranted over the even more damaged body.

"Don't you think I _tried_ to get them back? I'm not stupid, I know what people want. I wasted a good couple of years of my life trying to get them back for the album but you know what? I STILL have no lead as to what happened to EITHER of them! The only thing I wasn't going to give up on was you, your voice is the only thing I can't replace. Also, I _know_ that isn't Noodle and I know she never will be. She's just a last minute fix for the album. She'll be out of my sight as soon as the real Noodle comes back…..that is _if_ she comes back. But you think you can do a better job bringing them here then go ahead. Just don't expect me to come and rescue your sorry arse when you get trapped in hell."

Murdoc continued going on about if he should have bothered about keeping 2D in a career or if he should have just left him to make a fool of himself in Beirut and other things involving the subject of how ungrateful the singer was. 2D himself hardly moved. He lay there on the floor with his eyes closed tuning out the yelling and only twitching when Murdoc used a word too harshly. He'd had enough. He'd get on with whatever Murdoc wanted as long as he could leave as soon as it was over. What was left? His ordinary life was dangling by threads, his best friend was probably dead and everyday now he was battling new demons in his mind, fighting whether he should embrace his new abilities or find a way to stop them. He thought nothing could help him in his hour of need.

His eyes slowly opened, his vision still blurry. But then he thought he saw a figure crutching down looking at him. It was mostly dark which made him worry that it was another demon at first. But then he saw other features and it seemed more human. The shape also had different colours on its clothes. Blue, purple, and red fabrics mostly. His eyes widened.

"_Alex?"_ he thought.

2D shot up, sitting up properly to see if it was her. Was this his guide? ….. his help…..and dare he think it…..his friend?

Suddenly he was hoisted up by his shirt to be looking at Murdoc directly into his eyes.

"Are you even listening?"

"Did you see her?" 2D blurted out hopefully.

"You what?"

"There, down there. Can you see her?"

Murdoc turned half-heartedly and looked back.

"There's no one there numbskull. What are you on about?"

2D's heart sank. Alexius had probably scarpered as soon as he'd tried to point her out. What did he expect to happen? She wasn't going to jump in and rescue him that easily was she?

"Bu'…..Bu'….."

"I don't see any of your new little spirit friends, angel boy!"

2D gaped in horror at him for a moment before his head fell. Murdoc sighed.

"Look, I'll let you off this escape of yours 'cause of what happened yesterday but if you pull that on me again I won't be as nice. You got that?"

His head didn't move.

"Oi! You got that?"

Finally his head slowly rose and looked straight in his eyes. The look on his face was enough to snap Murdoc out of his dominant cockiness. It was as if all the life was gone from his face, like he'd completely lost the will to do anything. For as long as Murdoc had known him there had always been life in him, whether he was happy, confused, angry, even scared he'd always be charismatic and lively. Now he just departed from the world. He could tell by his eyes, once full of spark and energy, now they were dead. Now it really did look like his eyes were simply now holes in his head. This was the first time he looked, as far as Murdoc could remember, depressed beyond words. Even his voice when he finally spoke had lost its quality and character that signified 2D for who he was.

"Can we just get this over with?"

So they did just that. For around an hour and a half they rehearsed their tracks, old and new. 2D had to be reminded to actually put some soul and passion into his singing as his band mate pointed out he sounded "like a depressed suicidal" which in some ways wasn't that far from the truth. During the pause between each song 2D felt like he should turn around and voice his problems but each time stopped himself. Alexius could find out and she wouldn't be pleased, someone else could be listening in and take them all down while they were vulnerable, or Murdoc just wouldn't care. Whichever theory would be proven to be right he couldn't take the risk. He was alone.

"Alright, I've had enough of you now De-….."

Before he could finish insulting him further 2D had already left. Nothing more was said between them for the rest of the day, or in fact the rest of the week.

For the next couple of weeks they became ghosts to each other. Drifting past one another, barely speaking unless it was vitally important. 2D's depression was easing but improvements were hardly noticeable. He locked himself away in his room for most of the day hardly coming out for anything. Cyborg was sent to give him meals if he was in a mood. She knew he was in a mood because he would always lie on his bed and face away from the door to shut the world out. The robot detected him talk to himself every now and again about someone. The name she heard the most was "Noodle" and how "she would know what to do". She took little notice of his ramblings like Murdoc had programmed her to.

One day however everything changed.

Murdoc sat at the table absent-mindedly flicking through his satanic books. Cyborg had just returned from delivering food to the brooding singer and was standing next to her master waiting for further instructions or dismissal.

"Still moping around?" Murdoc asked without looking up.

The Cyborg didn't answer. She couldn't compute who the question was aimed at so remained silent. He looked up and glared at her.

"Well?"

"Do you refer to me or the Faceache?"

"Wha….2D you moron, Faceache!"

"He makes little progress. He talks to himself about lost souls, names I am unfamiliar with. I would suspect he is going insane. I could shoot him now to put him out of his misery if you require."

"If you do that I'm throwing you on the scrapheap….wait," He looked up, something finally gaining his interest. "What names?"

She listed the people 2D had mumbled, saying each name in the style of a proper robot which distanced herself even further from the human she was meant to imitate. Even Noodle wouldn't suggest killing 2D just because he was depressed! As she spoke Murdoc looked back at his book, again, taking nothing in.

"I recall him talking about a 'Russel', who my data tells me was the one replaced by the drum machine due to him going missing because of his demons taking over his mind. Another name would be 'Alex' yet I have no memory of that name. The name I hear the most is of my counterpart 'Noodle'."

Murdoc didn't tell her that he also didn't know who this 'Alex' person was either. His first thought was the person 2D had claimed to have seen during the incident in the recording studio but he couldn't be sure. He nodded and carried on reading as if nothing had happened.

"May I have permission to speak master?" Cyborg said suddenly.

The bassist turned to her again. He noticed every time she spoke her mouth never moved. There was a speaker somewhere on her neck that spoke in a robotic Japanese female sounding voice. It was similar to the way Noodle spoke but it wasn't identical. It lacked life and energy, the thing that made Noodle who she was. It would always be a machine.

He rested his head on his hand and with limited interest replied;

"Proceed."

"I was going to keep this until a more crucial time but I feel I have something that could help the …..problem the Faceache has. The problem of his angelic behaviour."

Now he was all ears.

"How long have you had it?"

"Since the day you told him he was an angel. I shall download it onto your computer master."

For a robot she knew how stop an argument from going any further.

She went out of the room and disappeared in the lift. For a moment everything seemed still and almost normal until, a few minutes later, Cyborg reappeared in a rushed state.

Something had happened.

"Master!" she cried "There are intruders on the island!"

"I've told you before Cyborg, just kill the damn things! I don't want any survivors this time."

"That is why I have returned …. they are not pirates."

"… I wasn't expecting any collaborators yet. I know I send the wrong dates out to ….. who was it? De La Soul and … the other one ….. Mark someone, but I thought I'd resolved that!"

Cyborg tilted her head to the side. "I have no reason to believe that they are collaborators either."

Murdoc looked down at the table thinking quickly. Who the hell would show up on this stinking piece of garbage if they weren't pirates or collaborators? He didn't need to think for long, an idea had already descended into his mind.

A rather….._personal _idea.

After this moment of realisation he ran past the robot and disappeared into the lift without another word to her. He couldn't believe it! No ….. no it couldn't be possible!

He wasn't expecting _them_ to arrive ….. well ….. ever!

I know it's a bit short but I wanted to cut this into two parts. I'll try to be quicker next time but I can't make promises. See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Why can't I claim the Angel (Part 9)

The wait is over! Who indeed has arrived? Time to find out!

An eerie feeling flooded over the island. A rumble could be heard from the sea floor and it had quickly reached the surface causing the water to ripple making it look like it was quivering in fear of what was lurking underneath.

At this point Murdoc ran through the front door and onto the plastic ground. He got to the shoreline and looked out. Nothing could be seen for miles (which wasn't uncommon). But the Cyborg had seen something, she never lied, never to him. What the hell was it? Then he gained the vibrating sensation and stared down at the water. A bad feeling flowed in his stomach, he could guess what this meant. He'd heard the rumours about what this meant but he didn't believe them. He thought it sounded too bizarre to be true, even in his unusual life.

Well ….. that and he didn't want to get his hopes up.

Just then something rose up from the water right in front of his face. The water parted and sprayed in every direction and the massive shape rose from the water. It caused the bassist to topple over and scuttle away before anything could happen to him. When he was a bit further away from the shoreline he looked up to see what on earth had arose from the depths of the ocean.

It was a _giant._

At first the features of the ginormous creature were hard to distinguish due to the figure blocking out the sun causing it to become a silhouette. Murdoc slowly got to his feet and stared up at the creature. The giant in turn glared down at him. He recognised that glare, he used to receive it from…..no…..no it couldn't be, could it? Finally the creature's face became clearer and it really could only be one person.

Russel Hobbs, the drummer of his band, had finally returned.

What had happened to him? He was HUGE! If he had to guess it was probably the pollution around Plastic Beach or maybe Russel had eaten too many Superfast Jellyfish (a health risk in itself!) The giant leant on the shore of the island making it tip a little. As much as he knew he would now be crushed for doing it, Murdoc just had to greet him with;

"…You lost weight Russel? You look different!"

Russel glared at the bassist again but didn't crush him, much to his surprise.

"Oh come on Russel! It's been 3 or 4 years and you still can't take a joke!"

Russel rolled his white eyes and shook his head. The bassist hadn't changed a bit.

Just then Murdoc heard a faint tapping noise from the inside of Russel's mouth. Someone had to be inside and knocking on his teeth. Who the hell was in there?!

The answer soon came. Russel opened his mouth and a gloved hand helped open it wider for somebody to escape. For a moment the person froze as they looked at Murdoc just before they were completely out of Russel's mouth.

It was a young woman wearing a short white dress covered in pockets with a red lining on them. She had a short red scarf and black and white stripy stockings with the toes missing. She also had messy blue-black hair and her face was covered by a pink cat mask with a strange green butterfly shape on the front.

Murdoc would have normally dismissed this strange girl as someone he could get with later but in this situation it was the last thing he thought of. He thought he recognised her. She was looking at him like she knew him from somewhere, but where, and why?

The girl stepped out of the giant's mouth, walked up to Murdoc and stopped just before she was in his personal space. She was shorter than him but she contained a gravity that somehow earned her respect, again, something he could have sworn was familiar.

"I know you don't I?" Murdoc finally asked.

Still staring at a mask rather than a face the girl tilted her head to the side and finally spoke.

"I should hope so Murdoc-San."

His jaw dropped. No, surely not, after all this time. Was he finally staring back at the girl he had lost all those years ago?

The girl lifted up her mask and moved it to cover only her right eye. Her face, her green eyes, it was so familiar, it really was her!

"N-Noodle."

He couldn't believe it. She was alive and well. She'd grown up well but still looked like the teenager they had lost so long ago during the El Manaña incident. Noodle smiled at him and her eyes began to water a little.

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Now Murdoc wasn't a hugging person ….. but this was Noodle after all. She had been claimed dead since 2006 and even though he knew she was fine she'd been stuck in hell since then. He'd tried to rescue her once but it didn't work. It had left him with a horrible feeling in his gut ever since. So with all this into account he hugged her back. It was only appropriate right?

"W-What happened to you? How did you escape?" he had to ask.

Noodle let him go and stepped back. Her eyes were fixed on the ground and she sighed. It was clear that she didn't want to talk about it.

"You don't have to answer yet Noodle, but you know….it has been a while."

"I know you have many questions to ask, and I do not blame you." said Noodle finally looking up. "I would prefer if I could tell you in my own time though. I have missed all deeply."

Murdoc was about to reply that he too had missed her when another voice from behind him ruined the emotional moment and added guilt and panic into the situation when it could have been so easily avoided.

"Master? Who is it?"

Everyone turned to look behind Murdoc. There stood Cyborg Noodle as cold-faced as ever. Her head tilted at the sight of the real Noodle.

"Who is this, Master?"

Murdoc glared at her to shut up. He wished he had got her to snap out of the habit of calling him that from the beginning. He turned back at Noodle's reaction to her clone. He couldn't look at Russel because he knew he was already being given the famous death look. At first she was just surprised and rather confused.

"Is…Is that meant to be me?"

Murdoc's mind tried to think of some sort excuse but nothing came. He sighed and had to reply with;

"Yes, she is."

Noodle didn't move. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she processed this, almost as if she was disappointed in her band mate. During this Murdoc searched for more excuses to stop a premature losing of his life.

"She counts for nothing Noodle. I'd looked for you everywhere, I even went to Hell to find you! That thing over there is just a temporary replacement until you were found. It was my complete last resort, I didn't want to do it but I had no other choice. I made her because no one else could replace you and your guitar skills. I needed to make another album because I was running out of cash. I couldn't wait forever!"

Murdoc finally ran out of things to say and just waited for her reaction.

Now, most people believe that this was the point that Noodle either attacked the Cyborg and/or Murdoc for replacing her. They also believe that this was indeed Cyborg's last moment. However, in reality, something different happened. She simply looked up at the bassist and said;

"We shall discuss this matter later Murdoc. Now I feel is not the time."

As much as she wanted to kick his teeth in she was better than that…..and she had more important things to think about, such as….

"Where is 2D?"

Murdoc had completely forgotten the depressed man until she had mentioned him. This was just what he needed to snap him out of his unhelpful state!

"He's in his room brooding over you two and a few … personal issues. Go in the lift and you'll see the button for his room if you wanna find him."

He couldn't tell them about 2D's new 'problem' just yet, it would just complicate matters further. Noodle brushed past Murdoc without looking at him and walked towards the front door of the island. When she was finally gone Murdoc looked at Russel who smirked at the smaller man's misfortune.

"She ain't gonna spare you after what she's been through."

2D hadn't moved from his bed for hours. He just lay curled up facing the wall like he always did. His ocean-lit room didn't bring any light to his cell, only fear, fear of his greatest fear that he was completely ashamed of. Why did Murdoc have to trap him down here? It wouldn't have been as bad if there wasn't a whale guarding him … or just simply scaring the crap out of him every half an hour for no reason. He wasn't going to run, there wasn't any point. He was left isolated to ponder about his life.

He felt that there was nothing left in his life. Most of his friends were dead and he was bound to be thrown out of his apartment in Beirut now he wasn't paying rent. Knowing the landlord it didn't matter if he was actually found dead in there. He would have still been lobbed into the street regardless. Every day now 2D was battling demons of his mind whether they were new or not … which was ironic due to his new-found life. He'd been fighting them ever since he'd left Kong Studios. When Noodle disappeared and was assumed dead the place had lost its somehow homely feel. It was now dark and frightening, which was 'coincidentally' how everyone on the outside world felt about it from the beginning. He and Russel had left Murdoc behind to guard the dump while they went their separate lives. The rest was history pretty much, well, apart from the law degree that he gained in the middle which as it turned out didn't make his situation any better, and he didn't remember much about it anyway.

There was a moaning sound which broke 2D from his thoughts for a moment. It was coming from the other side of the thin metal wall which separated him from the bottom of the ocean and could only mean one thing. He quickly hid his head in his arms and his hands clung to his hair. He tried to curl further in a ball but he knew it wouldn't protect him. He knew it was stupid every time it finally left but he genuinely feared that it was going to eat him! 2D couldn't cry out, his voice was caught in his throat. His breathing quickened and his heart thudded against his ribcage. He was going to die, this time for sure, he knew it! However he heard the whale's cry grow fainter as it swam away. He began to relax and sighed. He wasn't really going to die, now it was obvious.

'_Idiot'_ he thought.

He still didn't move though. There was no point in moving. What was there to get up for anyway?

Just then he heard the lift door open. He didn't turn around and waited for the command that would surely follow.

"2D?"

He sighed. He knew that voice all too well. He wasn't in the mood for that _thing_, that _thing_ who replaced his best friend. He failed however to pick up that he had called him by his proper nickname rather than another insult.

"Go away Cyborg." He mumbled.

"…..W-What?"

He then fired a full-fledged attack on the intruder, all without facing her.

"Are your ears no' workin' now? Ah said ah don't wanna see yer so*din' face 'round 'ere yer mechanical piece of s**t! You an' yer so*din' master are driving me mad! You kno' wha' ah'm goin' frew an' yet ya still drag meh ou' 'ere against ma will! Y-Yer no' 'er. Ya nevah will be 'er! Everyfing she was has been killed by you. So…..So ge' ou' Cyborg, leave meh alone."

There was silence for a long time before it tried to reason with him.

"….2D…"

"AH SAID GE' THE F**K OU' CYBORG!" he cried.

He buried his head into his pillow. Why wouldn't she just leave? What was so important that she needed to stay and continue to bother him? Finally it spoke again.

"I'm not the Cyborg Toochie."

He froze. That name. That was Noodle used to call him when she was younger. How did she know? Wait…no….no it couldn't be possible! Had he just vented his anger on…..?

He slowly looked up towards the lift to met with familiar green eyes. His jaw dropped and he sat up properly. At first he stared at her hoping she was real and that he now wasn't suffering from hallucinations now. But after a short time it was clear that he wasn't imagining this, it was real, and she was here!

"N-Noodle?"

She smiled at him.

"Yes, it's me. I'm here, I'm alive 2D!"

For the first time he could remember 2D's face curved into a smile. Noodle ran up to him and tackled him in a hug knocking him over back onto his bed. Although she was older now she was still very child-like. He held onto her not wanting her to suddenly disappear again. He wanted to ask her everything but couldn't, he was still taken aback by the fact she wasn't dead. Instead he rested his head in her shoulder and said;

"I-I'm so sorry ah…ah fought you were the Cyborg…"

"It's ok, you didn't know."

She released him and let him sit up. After the initial shock was over he managed to get a better look at her.

"Noodle …. you've grown!"

As soon as he had said it 2D had regretted it. Why did he have to point it out like that? Noodle didn't seem to mind though.

"I know it's been a while since we last saw each other."

He was about to speak again but Noodle held up her hand to silence him.

"Please, I know what you are about to ask. I have already told Murdoc that I do not wish to talk about what happened to me just yet and I will do so in my own time if that is okay with you. All you need to know is that both me and Russel are here and we are safe now we are back with you…..well that's what I hope."

"Wait…..Russel's 'ere too?"

Noodle nodded. 2D smiled and clapped his hands together.

"This day jus' couldn't ge' any bettah could it? How is 'e?"

Noodle suddenly looked a bit shifty.

"Um…well…he's fine….."

"Actually Noodle, wha' ah was 'bout ta ask ya was…..why do you try to keep tha' mask ovah ya eye?"

Her face fell in surprise when he asked. She turned away from him almost in shame, as if it was a fault on his behalf of the scar she now bared.

"W-Well I…urm….I-I don't…"

"Noodle…."

She looked at 2D. His face was serious, why was she so concerned to tell him? Had she now simply lost her trust in everyone, even her brother figure, and her best friend?

"Noodle…." he said again "you can trust meh."

She sighed and, after about 10 seconds of weighing up her options, she closed her eyes, took hold of her mask and removed it.

2D couldn't lie, he was surprised at what he saw. Her right eye was surrounded by a large ugly-looking black bruise. He had had his fair share of black eyes in his past but seeing them on his closest friend just made feel angry. How did someone as nice and good-natured as her end up with this? When she opened her eyes it just looked even worse. Her eye looked red, sore and blood-shot.

"Now do you see?" she asked.

"….yeah, ah see. Bu' it's no' tha' bad is it? Ah mean it'll heal right?"

Noodle shrugged her shoulders and lowered her head, her eyes filling with tears. She had been through a lot, 2D could tell. Maybe she was just tired and still surprised to realise that it was all over whatever the hell it was that had happened. Noodle looked up again to see 2D with his arms outstretched a little offering a hug. He wasn't really sure if there was anything else he could do at this point to help. She accepted the invitation and held onto him tightly, resting her head on his shoulders.

"I missed you." She said quietly.

"Ah missed you too."

**At last! Noodle and Russel have returned! Yes, this was my version of how they all came back together (minus my story element of course), but what else is going to happen now they have returned? Will this bring good or bad fortunes for the occupants already living on the island? How will 2D break it to the others about his new found self? Find out next time. Hopefully that won't be too far away!**


End file.
